June 22, 2007 If you’re feeling frustrated because your Wi-Fi link wont work from the balcony this might not help. We learn via David Becker at Wired that a new world record WiFi transmission of 237 miles (382km) has been set in Venezuela by Ermanno Pietrosemoli and his team.

Using mostly equipment that is commercially available, a wireless PC connection was established across 382km from El Aguila and Platillon Mountain.

Conducted in association with the ESLARED Foundation, the research concluded that although communication over this distance is feasible, further testing is required to ascertain the stability the link. Video and audio communication was successfully established in an earlier trial over a distance of 279km. A summary is available here in PDF format.

The record is unlikely to be repeated in or around urban centers – that’s the advantage of conducting the test in remote parts of South America where the likelihood of interference is greatly reduced.